Emanuel appoints new CPS inspector general

Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune

Nicholas J. Schuler, the department's interim chief officer since July 1, was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, above, to serve as inspector general for the Chicago Board of Education until the end of June 2018.

Nicholas J. Schuler, the department's interim chief officer since July 1, was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, above, to serve as inspector general for the Chicago Board of Education until the end of June 2018. (Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel named Nicholas Schuler to run the Chicago school board's Inspector General's office

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has named a new inspector general to the Chicago Board of Education, a move set for a procedural vote when the board meets Wednesday.

Nicholas J. Schuler, previously deputy inspector general for schools and the department's interim chief officer since July 1, was appointed by the mayor to serve a term that runs until the end of June 2018.

Schuler was recommended for the post by his predecessor, James Sullivan, who left in June to work on fraud investigations for the Sikich professional services firm.

"I'm pleased by the vote of confidence from the mayor and the board, and I look forward to continuing the great work of this office." Schuler said Monday. He was paid about $117,000 a year as deputy inspector general, according to CPS salary records. Sullivan earned roughly $133,000 as the district's IG.

The school district's inspector general office reports to the school board and directs investigations into allegations of waste, fraud and financial mismanagement.

Its investigators can probe employee misconduct, including allegations of criminal activity, and the office has the authority to subpoena witnesses and compel them to turn over documents and other material pertinent to an investigation.

Under Sullivan, the office uncovered $800,000 in illicit expenditures by former board Presidents Michael Scott and Rufus Williams for travel, office artwork and charity donations.

The watchdog has also investigated clout admissions at elite CPS schools under former schools chief Arne Duncan, now U.S. secretary of education. An aide was found to have kept a log of calls from politicians and politically powerful parents — among them Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner. The findings led to CPS tightening rules for principal picks at selective-enrollment high schools.

School board members are to vote Wednesday on a resolution that acknowledges the mayoral appointment and specifies any additional duties for the office. An annual report from the inspector general is due to officials at the beginning of next year.